Etro's Mercy
by TSLi
Summary: As Lightning helps rebuild following the fall of Cocoon, she finds her thoughts distracted by those she lost. FLight. Ignores XIII-2.
1. After the Fall

_A/N: This is my first attempt at fan fiction and my first attempt at creative writing or writing for pleasure period. Honest reviews are welcome._

_I have taken some liberties with the ending of Final Fantasy XIII so if things are not in canon that's why. _

_Thanks to Bebus for helping beta read and proofread this for you all. You're my favorite Brit :)_

_And finally all characters and such belong to Square Enix._

* * *

Lighting Farron could count on one hand the number of times she had cried in recent memory. The first being when her father had died, she was only a little girl then. The second time was when her mother had died when she was fifteen, her mother had raised her to be strong but Claire had felt so helpless then, even abandoned. The third time was Serah's imprisonment in crystal stasis. That was the only time that Lightning had felt like she had failed her sister and herself. The fourth and very, very recent was Fang's crystal stasis. As Lightning watched the Pulsian beauty crystallize and reach out to her with a look of horror upon her face, she suddenly felt like she was a teenager again. Helpless and abandoned.

She looked across the dying fire at Serah, sound asleep in Snow's arms. The Pulsian sun was beginning to rise. Lightning sighed inwardly. Sleep did not visit Lightning this night. It was Snow's watch but no surprise that he had fallen asleep. It had been less than a day since the fall of Cocoon. She had led the party to a suitable campsite, and for the moment that was all she could do.

A few days had passed since the collapse Cocoon, the surviving citizens at first, eked out a meager existence on Pulse immediately after the catastrophe that was Ragnorok. Those days were hard on all them but hardest on Lightning in particular. She was sharing a remodeled Purge train car with Serah which was nice, but she often had to endure Snow's grating presence, as if she did not do enough of that on their l'cie journeys. On a much dourer note her dreams and even her idle waking moments were haunted by one Oerba Yun Fang.

To avoid this new form of torture, Lightning worked from sun up to sun down helping with making their camp livable. She slaved away digging a suitable latrine connecting it by a fairly deep canal to a near by stream. She then tasked Serah with helping her weave together the alien leaves and branches to form a decent cover for their privacy. Lightning ordered Snow to collect wood and to begin erecting a shelter for himself and **only** himself. Gradually, over the next few days other survivors began showing up, including the old NORA crew much to Lightning's chagrin; she quickly dispatched them into the surrounding wilds in search of game. She assigned unskilled menial tasks to the remainder of the civilians and usually supervised and worked along side them personally. She was extremely pleased to see Sazh, Dajh, and Hope arrive on an old PSICOM transport that Sazh had been able to salvage and repair. She promptly sent the three to the ruins of Cocoon to scavenge for fuel, food, and other necessities. By the end of the first week post Cocoon Lightning smiled and thought to herself,_ "We just might make it after all."_

* * *

- Two months later

"Lieutenant Farron reporting sir!" she snapped a crisp salute to her commander.

"At ease, LT." replied General Cid Raines, who saluted in reply. As the highest ranking Guardian Corps officer currently, he beared the heavy burden of supervising reconstruction efforts, defense against creatures of Pulse, and the reintegration or destruction of the remaining PSICOM troops.

"Sir!"

"Farron, I want you to take a platoon and recon the base of the crystal. The civvies have been reporting some behemoth activity."

An almost imperceptible widening of Lightning's pupils declared her anxiety about her assignment but she quickly shot out a "Yes sir."

"I know you've lost your l'cie abilities, Farron, so have I. You're still the best soldier I have and it is vital that the crystal pillar is secure so that supplies can be salvaged from Cocoon."

"Thank you, sir."

The hard look he had been giving her was replaced with a grin.

"Well what's with the shifty eyes, Farron?"

"It's my first real command, sir" she quickly lied, pushing away the thought of seeing Fang again.

"I'm sending you out with some veteran NCO's and team leaders, Farron, you'll be fine."

"Thank you sir."

"Dismissed."

As she turned to leave the general's office he quickly spoke up,humor in his voice, "Oh and if you decide to spar with any of your subordinates don't incapacitate them. The infirmary is a bit overwhelmed right now."

A wry grin spread across the new lieutenant's face, "I wouldn't dream of it sir."

"Good."

* * *

"Serah!"

"Jeez Claire you don't have to yell!"

"I was just making sure you were here and not at that idiot's"

"Oh, him and Gadot found a couple of bottles of vodka last night. I don't think he's up yet." Serah said giggling.

Claire merely shook her head.

"Snow and the NORA crew have worked hard with the construction, Claire! You know that!"

"He's still an idiot." The elder Farron mumbled.

Serah directed at her sister a very accurate rendition of Lightning's own signature glare.

"Anyways sis, I have a patrol to go on. I should only be gone a week."

"Be careful, Claire."

"I'll be fine. But, I am leaving you with one rule."

"Oh yeah?" Serah said, arching an eyebrow.

"Snow is not to stay over."

Serah's cheeks reddened visibly, much to her older sister's amusement. "Why not?"

"Because he's an idiot and may burn our home down."

"Claire!"

"Look Serah, I'm not oblivious to you sneaking off at night. I just don't want the spawn of that fool coming into this world before things have improved." Lightning said, balling her fists.

Serah's jaw dropped. This was the first time that her guardian sister had even acknowledged that Snow would even be around in the future.

Claire's eyes softened. "I know you love him, and it's really mature of him to want to postpone the wedding so Fang and Vanille have a chance to emerge from their stasis."

Claire then sighed and admitted to herself as much as Serah. "No matter how much I try I will never be able to keep you two apart."

"Th-thank you, sis." The younger Farron's eyes were now red and visibly misty.

"What I am trying to say is, enjoy those you love while you can, and if you want to have Snow over then fine. Seriously though, no babies. I don't have to like him either."

"What's gotten into you Claire? Is everything ok?"

"Yes." She then indulged her sister with a brief but sad smile before quickly crossing the room to get her gunblade for a quick cleaning before heading out to the wilderness.

Serah waited for her sister to return to the seat across from her. "You want to see Fang too." She said with a sly grin.

It was the elder Farron's turn to drop her jaw.

"What did you just say?" She asked nearly dropping her gunblade.

"You heard me, I know you like Fang."

"How would you know? You've never even met her!"

"So? When we went up to Cocoon after everything settled down I saw the look in your eyes as we passed their crystals."

"You're imagining things." Lightning's grip around her gunblade had visibly tightened, the knuckles turning unnaturally pale. She wanted to tell her sister the truth: that Fang was all she thought of. How she should have indulged her flirtations. How she should have let her in.

"Am not! You couldn't take your eyes off of her. Good thing Sazh was driving the transport or you would've killed us!"

Lightning pretended she was checking her gunblade to avoid responding.

"Besides Snow told me all about her flirting with you."

"Snow is a man child with the IQ of a chocobo!" Claire fumed.

"Annnddddd," Serah said, her voice taking a mocking but playful tone, "he told me all about how you'd casually touch her while sparring and how you'd reject her suggestions to snuggle but you would always grin after turning away from her annnnddddd-"

"It's not fair what happened to her or Vanille!" Claire whispered softly, the regret and longing nearly palpable.

"It isn't fair what happened to any of us, sis." Serah gently replied.

"I know, but..." She said, eyes unable to meet her sister's.

At that, Serah drew her sister into a tight hug and whispered "Fang will be back soon. I know she will."

"Me too." A single tear rolled down not Lightning but Claire Farron's cheek. She didn't count this instance; the wind must have blown some dust in her eye.


	2. Crystals

_A/N: Thank you all of your wonderful reviews, PMs, favs, follows._

_Thanks again to Bebus for beta reading._

* * *

"_I'm sorry." Lightning whispered._

_It had been a week since Fang had revealed her origins to Lightning that day in Palumpolum. A week since Lightning had slapped her for her indirect responsibility at Serah being made a l'cie. Lightning was standing guard duty at the Vallis Media on Gran Pulse. She hadn't heard the stealthy huntress approach but rather sensed her presence materialize beside her from the inky black midnight._

_Fang was taken aback. "Sorry for what?"_

"_Hitting you." Lightning said tersely. _

"_Oh please, I've been hit much harder." Fang laughed._

_Silence._

"_What are ya doin' out here?" The huntress asked playfully pressing her luck._

"_Isn't it obvious?" Lightning asked through clenched teeth._

"_My my aren't we grumpy?" Fang chuckled._

"_Go away." Lightning said casually._

"_I don't think I want to." Fang said slowly._

_Lightning sighed. "Well if you're going to stay don't talk."_

_Fang nodded in assent. She had won two victories tonight, receiving an apology and Lightning would willingly tolerate her company. There may be hope for her yet. Fang and Lightning spent the next two hours in a comfortable silence. Sure these were small victories but Fang was proud of herself nonetheless. After all, small victories were all one could expect with Lightning Farron._

* * *

Lightning and her platoon moved out in the predawn hours. She had meticulously prepared her equipment the night before and even gotten Serah to trim off her longer hair in the back. She, like the rest of her soldiers was dressed in a green and tan camouflage fatigue with dark green body armor protecting her chest, shoulders, hands, forearms, thighs, and lower still carried her Omega weapon in a scabbard hanging loose just at the top of her thighs, but had her pink hair pinned back out of her face.

It was an easy five kilometer hike to the base of the pillar. At the last minute Raines had assigned her a pair of engineers to assess the stability of the structure. This last addition was acceptable because she knew her command ability was being tested. Lightning knew she was a more than capable leader; however she did have significant doubts about how she would react when she would have to look upon the crystal sarcophagus that housed Fang.

"Alright people, take twenty for breakfast." Lieutenant Farron said casually but firmly.

They had reached the base but approached in a direction that would, thankfully, put them on the opposite side of the crystallized Pulsians.

"Sergeant Holloway!" She called over the bustle of the troops.

"Yes ma'am?" The giant of a man came jogging towards her. He had a reputation as a no nonsense leader and had been described by some female admirers as the pinnacle of manliness. An excellent soldier by all accounts.

"I want those topography scans in fifteen."

"Yes ma'am!" He snapped a textbook salute and strode off.

Dawn was just beginning to break as Lightning quickly finished her breakfast ration. She looked over, pleased to see the two engineers already at work. She caught the senior of the two's gaze and motioned for him to join her.

"Lieutenant Farron, it's nice to meet you." he said, as he approached.

She saluted and replied in a cold manner, "Likewise Captain Jezaal."

Though he was the ranking officer he had been made aware that Lightning was in full command. Whatever, disagreement he had with that faded in the face of her reputation and achievements.

"What do you two make of it?" She asked, gesturing to the massive pillar.

"It really is a magnificent structure, and should be able to stand for centuries without any help from us." He replied, delighted that someone had taken interest in his work.

"Very good, carry on." Lightning ordered brusquely. He nodded and strode back over to his partner and began making various measurements.

"Holloway!" she shouted.

"Got the scans right here, ma'am" he said trotting up to her.

"Report." The pink haired lieutenant said calmly.

"Well, ma'am the flyboys say that there is a decent sized behemoth nest about three kilometers to the Southwest. They also report that there is a particularly large and nasty tempered one leading the group."

"An Alpha." She said through clenched teeth.

"Right ma'am, well good thing we brought the beam cannon and some rockets."

Lightning nodded sagely, then gestured to the display before her, "There's a ridge we can set up on. We should be able to sneak by pretty easily as long as we are quiet."

"I was just thinking that ma'am."

"Brief the squad leaders and get the men ready to move out." She curtly ordered.

* * *

The troop had successfully flanked the pack of behemoths and were now looking down at them from the relative safety of their elevated position. They had approached from the East with the rising Pulsian sun and were hidden in the glare. She was going to play this one cautiously; she swore to herself not to suffer any casualties. Claire also had Serah back and thought of leaving her alone with Snow made her cringe. Then there was Fang.

"Beam crew dial in the Alpha. Rockets dial in the two big ones on the left. Marksmen aim for the eyes and joints." Lightning ordered calmly.

Murmurs and grunts of assent confirmed her orders were acknowledged. The sharpshooters took their positions.

"Open fire."

The creatures were taken completely by surprise. The Alpha's head had been completely incinerated by the beam cannon and only a cauterized stump of its neck remained. The two that were struck by the rockets were not so lucky. One had massive hole in its flank with abdominal contents spilling out. It had fallen on it's side with a massive pool of blood already forming around it. The other had been hit at the base of its hind legs and that area was now a smoking crater. The poor creature wailed pitifully dragging itself along on front legs. Six large juveniles remained.

"Marksmen!" Lightning called out.

The resounding cracks of rifle fire answered her. The behemoths' tough hides deflected or absorbed the first few rounds but eventually caved. Two collapsed, their skulls riddled with bullet holes. The remaining four began to charge, rapidly closing the 200 meter gap.

"Riflemen!"

The remainder of the platoon rushed to the front of the line and began to lay down a barrage of fire. Lightning drew her gunblade and joined in, taking carefully aimed shots at the beasts. She managed to hit one between the eyes and it dropped immediately and skidded to a halt. The remainder fell in short order after that.

"Good work everyone. Reload and let's head back and pick up our engineers." She said casually.

"_A true hunter doesn't waste any part of what she kills."_ Lightning heard Fang in her huntress had told her that after one of their first sparring sessions. Claire smiled inwardly at the thought.

"Get the NORA crew out here to strip those carcasses." Lightning told her comm specialist.

* * *

The moment Lightning had been dreading arrived. The platoon had arrived at the pillar and the crystallized versions of Fang and Vanille were in full view for all. She kept her eyes to the ground and kept walking when she heard muttering behind her.

"If it weren't for those Pulsian bitches," a private two days out of basic training said, his voice laced with anger, "Cocoon would be fine and none of us would be doing this shit."

A few gasps but nobody would look at the private directly.

"What, did I say something?" The unlucky man asked, looking around at his fellows.

As soon as his eyes returned to the front they were met by Lightning's fiery blue glare and a fist speeding towards him. He saw the sky and then black, nothingness as he hit the ground.

"Somebody get a litter and carry him." Lieutenant Farron ordered, regaining her composure. "Sergeant Holloway, take them back."

* * *

Claire huffed, still angry at the private's remark, but she was alone now. He didn't know any better but nobody, NOBODY talks about Fang that way. Claire's eyes caught the sight of crystallized Fang and her heart sank. It was just as she remembered. Nothing like the serene way Serah had appeared when she went into stasis after they found her on the fal'cie Anima. Fang's eyes were pleading, her face contorted into anguish and horror. A hand reaching out to Claire as she had crystallized. That hand still reaching, begging for help. Claire's eyes then drifted over to Vanille, she looked painfully sad with her tears frozen in place. The young Pulsian had been devastated when she saw the death and destruction she had caused as Ragnarok.

Claire sighed and looked away, her eyes brimming with moisture. She cupped Fang's cheek in a light caress and placed a gentle kiss upon the other cheek.

"I'm sorry." She whispered sadly.


End file.
